UNESCO to Create Virtual Museum of Stolen Artifacts

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is planning to establish the world's first virtual museum dedicated to stolen cultural artifacts, as reported by The Guardian.

The primary objective of this project is to raise awareness within society regarding the issue of illegal trade in cultural treasures and the significance of preserving cultural heritage. The museum is set to commence its operations in 2025.

Visitors to the museum will be able to explore virtual spaces featuring detailed 3D representations of the artifacts. Each artifact will be accompanied by information explaining its cultural importance, including its history and the insights of local communities.

Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO's Director-General, stated, "Behind each stolen work or fragment lies a piece of history and identity that has become inaccessible for study and is now at risk of fading into oblivion. Our goal is to bring these works back into the spotlight and restore the right of societies to access, study, and recognize themselves in their heritage."

According to the American non-governmental organization Antiquities Coalition, some of the most significant looted and stolen artifacts from around the world include a 3rd-century alabaster inscription taken from the Alwan Temple in Yemen between 2009 and 2011, an ivory relief depicting a lion attacking a Nubian from the Baghdad Museum in 2003, a green stone mask stolen in the 1970s from a Maya settlement in Rio Azul, Guatemala, and a Varaha statuette from the 5th to 6th centuries stolen from a temple complex in Rajasthan, India, in 1988.

The development of the virtual museum, with a cost of $2.5 million, will be a collaborative effort with the international law enforcement organization Interpol. Interpol's database contains information on over 52,000 stolen cultural artifacts from museums, collections, and archaeological excavations worldwide.

Ernesto Ottone, Deputy Director-General for Culture at UNESCO, noted that the museum's ultimate aim is its own obsolescence. Organizers hope that through the museum, the number of stolen artifacts will decrease, and they will be returned to their original homes in museums and collections.

Ottone also mentioned that one of the most challenging aspects of developing the virtual museum was creating detailed 3D representations of artifacts, especially for those with no physical records beyond small black-and-white photographs.

It's worth noting that since 2014, Russia has actively pursued a policy of cultural appropriation, not only concerning Ukraine's territory but also its cultural heritage. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, hundreds of museums and tens of thousands of exhibits have been destroyed or damaged in Ukraine. As of February 24, 2023, UNESCO estimated the losses to Ukrainian cultural heritage caused by Russian aggression at $2.6 billion. The New York Times has referred to the looting of Ukrainian museums as the most significant since World War II.